Laura Albery offers advice to actors wanting to find themselves a good agent.
There are hundreds of agents and personal managers in the UK, representing thousands of actors and artists. Some larger agencies have hundreds of clients on their books, whereas others may only have a handful. On the smallest scale, personal managers look after an artist?s career on a one-on-one basis. There are also a number of co-operative agencies that are staffed by actors themselves, who take turns at handling the administrative side of the agency and promote themselves to casting opportunities as a team. Agents usually try to represent a good range of artists (age, sex, type) to fill the diverse role types required by casting directors.
As a general rule, agents are in the best position to find out about forthcoming productions, auditions and castings, since they build close working relationships with casting directors and should have many contacts within the TV, film, radio and theatre communities. When looking for artists, casting directors are usually happier to deal with agents, who act as a filter for suggestions, rather than to be approached directly by thousands of individual performers. Most major productions in the UK are cast via ?The Spotlight Link?, Spotlight?s free, web-based casting breakdown service. At the request of the casting community, this service is only available to agents, and not individual artists. Production teams send out their casting briefs electronically to their selected UK agents, and agents then review their client lists and submit their most suitable artists for the roles available.
So it follows that finding an agent is one of the biggest challenges facing an artist as he or she starts out in the industry. The right agent will be of tremendous help in guiding and developing an artist?s career, although at Spotlight we do always stress that it is not the end of the world to be without one. When seeking representation by an agent, the best place to start is by looking at a copy of ?Contacts?. This handbook contains hundreds of listings for agencies of all types, including those who specialise in the representation of child performers, extras/walk-on artists or voice-overs. Artists should always make initial contact in writing, and research the different companies first, instead of just sending a blanket letter to every single one. This way, approaches are targeted to only the most suitable agencies and nobody?s time is wasted.
Agents receive hundreds of letters each week, so when making contact for the first time we recommend that artists keep their communication concise and professional. They should include a CV and a photograph with their name written on the back. Showreels should only be sent if this has been checked with the agency first. It?s also helpful if the letter has some kind of focus: perhaps telling about a forthcoming showcase, or a current stage appearance, so that the agent can come and see it. Including a stamped-addressed envelope increases the chances of getting a reply (make sure it is big enough so that they can return a 10? x 8? photo).
Very few agencies will take on clients without meeting them first. When an artist is invited to see an agent, it is important to remember that the meeting is a two-way thing: both parties must be sure that they are comfortable with one another and will be able to build a good working relationship. Always ask questions about their terms, contracts and commission rates and never feel pressured into making a decision on the spot. When invited to meet several agents, an artist should make sure they see them all first, before making any decisions.
Actors and artists often ask Spotlight whether they should pay to join an agency, or for advice on signing a contract. Equity (the actors? trade union) does not recommend that artists pay an agent to join their client list, and suggests that, before signing any contract, you should be very clear about the terms and commitments involved. For advice on both of these issues, or when experiencing any problems with a current agent, we always recommend that an artist contacts Equity.
Laura Albery is Marketing Manager for ?The Spotlight?, the UK?s leading casting resource, featuring over 30,000 actors, actresses, stunt artists, child artists and other performers. Spotlight?s directories are available in book and Internet format.
t: 020 7440 5042;
w: http://www.spotlight.com; e: link@spotlight.com. Equity publishes a booklet ?You and your Agent? which is free to all of their members
(http://www.equity.org.uk). Other useful sources of information include the Personal Managers Association (PMA), The Agent?s Association, and the Co-operative Personal Management Association (CMPA).